I’m scheduled on tactical operations tomorrow, so I’m getting back up to speed on recent MSL activities today. The Sol 1281 drive completed as planned, crossing the Murray/Stimson contact at the edge of the Naukluft plateau. Now that we have a better view of the plateau, we are ready to start driving across it. But first, ChemCam and Mastcam will observe targets “Orupembe” and “Witvlei” on the bedrock in front of the rover. Mastcam will also take pictures of the rocks in front of the rover and targets “Natab East” and “Natab West” on either side of the vehicle before the Sol 1282 drive. After the drive, in addition to the usual post-drive imaging, the Left Mastcam will acquire a full 360-degree panorama, as the view from the new location (near the left edge of the image above) is expected to be good. We are looking forward to seeing the new data!

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About the Authors

Ryan Anderson is a Research Geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center. Ryan has a background in Physics and Astronomy and received his PhD in Planetary Science from Cornell University. His research helped lead to the selection of the Gale crater landing site for the Curiosity rover, and he is on the science team for the ChemCam instrument on Curiosity. Ryan is involved in Curiosity operations as ChemCam science payload downlink lead (sPDL) and science payload uplink lead (sPUL), as well as keeper of the plan (KOP) for the Geology and Mineralogy theme group. Ryan is also a member of the science team for the SuperCam instrument on the upcoming 2020 rover. Ryan is interested in deciphering the history of Mars through quantitative geomorphology and spectroscopy. He also is very interested in using computers to help scientists do better science through machine learning and other techniques.

Lauren Edgar is a Research Geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center. She earned her bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Geology from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to the USGS, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU. Lauren is an active member of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Mars Exploration Rover (MER) science teams, serving as a Geology and Mineralogy Theme Lead on MSL, and as a Payload Uplink Lead for the Microscopic Imager and Engineering Cameras on MER. Her research aims to understand martian surface processes through the use of rover and orbital observations and terrestrial field analogs. She uses sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geomorphology to infer past processes involving water, wind, ice, and volcanic activity, and to identify potentially habitable environments on Mars.

Ken Herkenhoff is also a research geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Ken studied geology at the University of California, Berkeley and earned his PhD in planetary science at Caltech working with Mariner 9 images of the south polar layered deposits on Mars. He earned a doctorate in Planetary Sciences at Caltech in 1989 and was a post-doc and research scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Ken was involved in several planetary missions, including Mars Observer, Cassini, and Mars Pathfinder. The success of Mars Pathfinder and its Sojouner rover led to his involvement in the MER rovers as science lead for the Microscopic Imagers (MI). Ken serves as polar geology theme lead for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission. He is also a Co-Investigator on the MSLMastcam/MAHLI/MARDI and ChemCam science teams, and is involved in rover operations as MAHLIPUL and Science Operations Working Group (SOWG) chair.

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